Upgrading One's Apple iPhone -- October 11, 2025

Locator: 49354APPLE.

Apple has a very, very slick ad -- and I think, a very, very honest -- about "helping" folks decide which of the four new iPhone 17 models is best for them. The one option they don't give, of course, is not to choose any of the four at all.  But in Apple's defense, the ad is targeting those folks who have decided to purchase an Apple iPhone 17 but can't decide which model. It's not targeting those folks who are not in the market for an upgrade.

The NY Times "Wirecutter" has a similarly good article. Link here. The difference is that the "Wirecutter" states very explicitly if the iPhone you currently use meets your needs there is no reason to "upgrade."

That's true for me. 

I had planned to "upgrade" to an iPhone 17 mostly because the battery of my current iPhone was "wearing out." But I took it our neighborhood third party Apple repair store and for less than $100, got a new battery and a brand new protective covering. And my older iPhone looks absolutely brand new.  

By the way, what do you think is the #1 reason why current Apple phone users hesitate to upgrade. No, it's not the money. It's the pain of having to go through the process of "setting up" the new phone, despite the fact that with the help of your carrier -- in the carrier's store, with a human being -- set-up is flawless and quick.  

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Apple Computer -- Desktop, Laptop, Tablet Upgrades

Expect to start seeing ads. And promotions. 

AI prompt: will apple start promoting their computers more aggressively now that Windows 10 support ends October 14, 2025?

The President Has Directed The SecDefense To "Pay The Troops" On October 15, 2025 -- October 11, 2025

Locator: 49353TROOPS.

From The New York Times, two hours ago. 

This will be fascinating to watch. 

Congress controls the purse. My hunch: Representative Mike Johnson and Senator John Thune might have some "fun" with this. 

Both the US House and the US Senate have passed their versions of the defense department's appropriations bill but due to the government shutdown, further action has not progressed.

 The U.S. Congress can pass one of the twelve annual appropriations bills on its own. Historically, this was standard practice, with Congress passing each bill individually to fund different parts of the government. However, in recent decades, it has become common for Congress to bundle multiple bills into a single "minibus" or "omnibus" package.

Despite the "shutdown," the government has continued to complete some work, including the US Senate confirming 107 Trump nominees on October 8, 2025, eight days into the October, 2025, government shutdown.  

Diane Keaton — Dead. At Age 79 — October 11, 2025

Locator: 49352KEATON.

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Meanwhile, Joe Biden

Where we might have been, had it been.

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Hamas - Israeli October 7 Agreement

October 7, 2023.

October 7, 2025.  

• President Trump announced an agreement had been reached. The announcement was made on October 8, 2025.
• The agreement was signed on October 10, 2025, and took effect at 12:00 p.m. (sic, wiki) October 10, 2025.

The "agreement" was signed because the holding of hostages no longer had any tactical or strategic value for Hamas. 

That is all.  

It appears not one meaningful thing for Hamas came from this "October 7, 2023 operation." It seems for everyone else, particularly, the current Israeli administration gained much. That's my take. The hostages did not die in vain. Others will argue that no one gained; millions were hurt. I can't disagree with that either.

It ends with President Trump and the US Department of War, led by Pete Hegseth, supervising the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the release of the last two dozen hostages, dead and dying, and perhaps a longer peacekeeping role for the US in Palestine. Already I assume, the wheels in the Pentagon are moving, once again. 

AI -- What It Means -- Breakeven In The Bakken -- October 11, 2025

Locator: 49351AI.

I am currently in my Alan Turing phase. I may come back to that.

Suffice it to say: if you're not using a chatbot .... well, what can I say?

AI -- a chatbot -- may not replace you but someone using a chatbot will replace you.

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ChatGPT on The Bakken Basin

AI prompt:

I'm curious to "learn" what you know about the Bakken Basin with regard to the primary oil production operators in that basin. Which oil production operator do you think is the best operator in North Dakota, which pretty much means the North Dakota Bakken oil basin?

ChatGPT provided a long, long answer. Here was the bottom line:

Taking into account recent data, strength in multiple dimensions, and how the players are adapting, here’s who I believe currently stands out in the Bakken as the top operator, and why.

• Chord Energy (post-Enerplus merger): I lean toward Chord being the best in overall value and potential right now. The scale of acreage, combining Enerplus’s strong Bakken experience with Chord’s operational capability, gives them both size and momentum. Their production base is large, and they appear to be in a good position to weather price volatility.

• Continental Resources remains a strong contender. It’s very likely the best operational performer historically (at least among independents) in the Bakken. Their well productivity, technical execution, and staying power are excellent. If you are betting on someone who has consistently gotten strong output per dollar invested, they’re up there.

• Hess also deserves mention: great core acreage, good execution, and relatively efficient operations. Might not have the sheer acreage of Chord + Enerplus or Continental, but very solid.

If pressed for one name: Chord Energy is the “best overall” under the current 2024-2025 conditions, in my view, especially considering the consolidation, acreage, production scale, plus likely resilience in lower price environments.

My reply: amazing. I would agree.  

Very active right now: Phoenix Operating, LLC, but the wells are not amounting to much. If the wells don't improve, I would assume the breakeven point for Phoenix Operating is at the high end of estmates in the Bakken, nearer $60 than $45.

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Latest Estimate: Breakeven In The Bakken
From ChatGPT

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Phoenix Operating: See Comments

A reader asked my thoughts regarding the recent article in Forbes regarding Phoenix Operating.

An assessment of that article at this link. 

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Disclaimer
Brief Reminder 

Briefly:

• I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.
• I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 
• Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.
• If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 
• Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.
• I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.
• Longer version here. 

Jargon: The "Control Of Compute" -- The New Moat -- October 11, 2025

Locator: 49350LDC.

The chokepoints:

• right now: access to blades;
• this next year: putting blades on-line; 
• Nvidia, AMD, copper, fiberoptics
• next few years with the build-out: cooling
• five to seven years: access to affordable electricity

The moat is the wherewithal to put that all together -- capital --- guts --- out-of-the-box thinking. 

Control of compute: link here.  Jargon: compute.